The #RefugeeCrisis – we need a history lesson

A dark cloud which had nothing to do with Storm Gertrude swept across Europe last week, in what can only be described as having worrying overtones of right-wing xenophobia and fascism.

The anti-refugee rhetoric appeared to be systematically ratcheted up in nearly every country across the continent, without the smallest whiff of hypocrisy that the West’s agenda had largely contributed to this man-made crisis.

Denmark passed laws which will see them able to seize refugee’s assets; the Belgium Foreign Minister implied (then denied) that Greece should push its refugees back into the sea; race hate crime on the UK’s rail network was found to be up 37% in 5 years; Sweden announced it’s set to deport up to 80,000 failed asylum seekers; in Stockholm the far-right were leafletting and attacking children and at home we had the furores surrounding red doors, wristbands and the overcrowded conditions in Home Office-approved accommodation…